Collaborations are nothing new in the local beer scene, and they’re not limited to brewery-to-brewery interactions. With the popularity of craft-beer venues at an all-time high, non-brewing interests are partnering with ale-and-lager producers. Local examples include the tasting room-equipped gaming center in Miramar established by At Ease Games in conjunction with Vista-based Barrel Harbor Brewing. Beer pairs well with many forms of entertainment from gaming to sports, movies to music. The latter is the basis of The Echo Room, a new venture in Oceanside from Midnight Jack Brewing and Craft Sounds.
The Echo Room is a live-performance venue constructed within Midnight Jack’s tasting room, mere feet from the brewhouse. It is equipped with a 16-foot-by-16-foot stage, professional lighting and full-time sound management. Those elements were introduced by Craft Sounds owner Tim Sams, a 23-year veteran of the San Francisco and San Diego indie-music scene who, feeling there were too few music venues capable of luring quality talent, conceived The Echo Room as a solution.
Midnight Jack’s owners, John and Katherine Scheri saw it as a solution on their end as well. “With the brewery landscape expanding so rapidly, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and offer customers a really great experience that includes not only unique, hand-crafted beer, but good food and regular live entertainment,” says Katherine. “Adding a regular schedule of specifically curated, local music is something that we really want to provide our customers, and make Midnight Jack a go-to music venue in North County San Diego.”
The Scheris appreciate that Sams brings more than just audio-visual knowhow to the table. He also has a wealth of connections within the local music scene and is at work scheduling The Echo Room’s initial wave of performers. The March calendar is as follows:
- Friday, March 16: Dezzy Hollow, Jessica Duron, D2A, Steez76D
- Saturday, March 17: Aviator Stash, Flying Siren, Los Pintos Bros
- Friday, March 23: Punk Night w/ The High Curbs, Mainsail, Matt Caskitt & The Breaks
- Saturday, March 24: Sweet Myths
- Friday, March 30: Shoegaze Night: Runs Deep, Dirty Dragon & Noir Dalis
- Saturday, March 31: The Liquorsmiths, J. Hoftsee, Jesse Lafica (The Filthy Violets)
Midnight Jack also plans to host a charity drive from Punk Rock Food featuring eight bands and food trucks on June 23. That event will benefit the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank.